Liquid container



July 110, 1934.

E. D. SLOAN' LIQUID CONTAINER Filed Dec. 7, 1952 I N VEN TOR.

flS/amz Q7 A TTORNEYS.

' lllllllllllllillll Patented July if 1934 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a liquid container equipped with an air tube communicating with the interior of the container near its bottom whereby, when the container is tilted to empty the liquid, the air may enter through the air tube and escape from the air tube into the lower part of the container.

My container is particularly adapted to be used with those liquids that become semi-fluid at times, as, for example, lubricating oil used extensively by automobilists which may become thick during cold weather, and when the container is tilted to pour out the oil, air has to take the place of the oil and the oil in some instances "may become so thick that it requires a good deal of time for the air to pass up through the oil to fill the vacuum caused by the running out of the oil at the spout of the container. With my device the air is adinitted through the air tube into the bottom of the container and does not have to pass in large bubbles through the body of the oil. Another object of the invention is to keep the liquid or semi-liquid from passing up into the air tube, leaving the air tube free of liquid, thus enabling the air to pass through the air tube quickly as soon as the vacuum is formed in the bottom of the container and enabling the fluid or semi-fluid to pass out of the spout without waiting for the bubbles of air to pass through the "spout and bubble up in the vacuum formed at the bottom of the container. n

I have described one form of my invention; it is evident it may be changed in details and still I come within the scope of my claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the entrance of the air in the air tube close to a part of the container that is usually grasped to tilt the container and empty the fluid, so that the user can readily place his thumb over the end 49 of the air tube'to stop the ingress of the air when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for operating a. needle valve to nordraw the needle valve when the container is tilted and to mount the needle valve operating mechanism, with as small expense as possible,

in holders cut out of scrap metal in as few parts ..as possible'andstill remain operative with rough use.

With these and other advantages which will be developed as the description proceeds, I will now describe my invention in connection with the fie'attached drawing in which:

mally close the bottom of the air tube but to with- Figure 1 is a side view of a conventional container having my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a side view of the bottom of the air pipe with the needle valve and its operating mechanism, taken on a plane at right angles to the view of the mechanism in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the same mechanism shown in Figure 2 but on a plane at right angles thereto.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the needle valve operating levers, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one lever and its supporting base.

1 represents the bottom part of the container, usually of glass, and made smaller at the portion 7 2 so that it may be readily grasped in the hand of a user.

3 represents the top of the container, usually of metal, provided with an internal screw-thread that enables it to be screwed on to the top of the container 1. The top 3 is usually provided with a spout 4.

There has heretofore been provided a straight air tube running through the top 3, down to near the bottom of the usual containers for the ad- 89' mission of air, but the trouble with that construction is that the oil runs through the air tube of the heretofore constructed device and par tially fills the same up to the top of the liquid H or semi-liquid in the container and it is found that this liquid may become so hardened as to render the vent tube practically useless in supplying air'to the bottom of the container.

In my device I provide an air tube 6 and pass it down through the metal top at some con- 90 venient place, as a hole 7, and solder it to the top. Sometimes it is convenient to stop the mouth of the air tube 6 with the thumb or finger of the user as he grasps the container at the portion 2 and I prefer, therefore, to extend the air tube downwardly to within a convenient distance of the part 2 of the container to enable the user to easily apply his thumb or finger of his hand grasping the container and thus stop up the air tube 6.

The other end of the air tube 6 extends to nearly the bottom of the container and at the lower end of the air tube I encircle it with a nut 8 screw-threaded on its interior butsoldered p to the tube 6 near the top of the nut. Below the n utB, I provide a second nut Shaving an upwardly extending sleeve 10 screw-threaded on its exterior to engage the internal screw-threads of the nut 8. The nut 9 has extending through it a hole 12 part way through which projects a needle valve 13 having upper and lower shelves or projections 14, 14 and between these two shelves project the end of a weighted lever or levers 15, 15, the shapes of which are shown best in Figure 4. These weighted levers 15, 15 have at their outer ends weighted portions 16, between the ends pivots 17 and at their inner ends they are forked, the prongs of the fork terminating in rounded portions 18. These prongs embrace the needle valve 13 and the inner ends of the levers rest between the shelves or flanges 14, 14', as best shown in Figure 3.

The supports for the weighted levers comprise a one-piece metal sheet bent as shown at 19 (Figure 2). The upper portion of this bent sheet is clamped between the nuts 8 and 9. At the lower portions of the support 19 the sides of the strip of metal 19 are bent inwardly as at 21-21 and have clamped thereto another sheet metal frame 22, shown best in Figure 5. This frame 22' comprises a base portion 23 and bent up from the base portion are standards 24-24 provided at their tops with pivot holes into which the pivots 1'7 on the levers 15 project and locate the weighted levers in the position shown best in Figure 3, with the ends of their forked portion resting between the shelves or flanges 1414. The metal flanges 19 and 22 are clamped together by suitable bolts 30 (Figure 2).

By the described structure it is apparent how my device operates, but to recapitulate:When it is desired to empty oil, for example, through the spout 4, the needle valve 13, which is normally in the position shown in Figure 3, will be pulled downwardly when the container is turned up and the levers 15, 15' sink to their dotted line position. The oil that is running out of the spout 4 will create a vacuum in the bottom of the container and air will pass through the air pipe 6 and fill the vacuum without having to pass up from the nozzle through the semi-fluid oil to the vacuum. This will allow the oil to run out of the nozzle without interruption. After the oil empties and the container stands in the position of Figure 1, the weighted levers 15 and 15' will drop to full line position and close the needle valve 13 and thus prevent any remaining oil, or a new supply of oil supplied through the nozzle 4, from entering the air pipe 6 and the weighted levers will hold the needle valve closed until the container is again turned upside down or turned far enough so that the weighted parts of the levers 15, 15 will sink to their dotted line position and open the valve 13.

I find with my improved container that a great deal of time may be saved in emptying the container, especially during the winter when the oil gets thick and semi-fluid in character, because as soon as the container is tilted suificiently the oil will immediately run out of the spout 4 without interruption and the air will immediately be drawn through the air pipe 6 since it is empty of oil and kept empty by the needle valve 13. The mounting for the needle valve, being entirely made up of two scrap iron plates, may be constructed at a minimum of cost and still be strong enough to stand the rough usage to which these containers are subjected in filling stations.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. An air pipe for the admission of air to a container, said pipe having at its lower end a downwardly opening and upwardly closing valve, means attached to said pipe for holding the downwardy opening valve to its seat when the pipe is in an upright position, said means being adapted to open the valve when the pipe is tilted.

2. An air pipe for admission of air to a container having at its lower end a valve and valve seat, said valve seat being attached to the pipe, means for opening the valve when the pipe is tilted, a support for said means attached to said pipe, said support comprising a base piece and upstanding arms on which the valve opening mechanism is pivoted.

3. An air pipe for admitting air to a container having at its lower end a valve seat, a needle valve opening downwardly in the seat, a guide for the needle valve, a weighted lever for operating the needle valve comprising a weighted end, a pivot between its ends and a forked portion to straddle the needle valve.

4. An air pipe for the admission of air to a container having at its bottom portion a valve and a pivoted lever for operating the valve, a support for said lever comprising a plate attached to the pipe and having upwardly extending arms for supporting the pivots of said lever.

5. A container as claimed in claim 6 and having a broad base, a contracted portion and a top, and wherein the air pipe extends to approximately the bottom of said container and is bent downwardly from said top on the outside thereof to approximately the contracted portion of the container to enable the user to cover the end of the pipe with a thumb of his hand when grasping the contracted portion.

6. A container having an air pipe therein, said pipe extending to near the bottom of the container and having a valve seat located at the lower end of the pipe and within the container and an upwardly closing valve and means below the valve to press it upwardly and hold it to its seat when the container is standing upright.

7. An oil container having therein an air pipe, said pipe extending from within the container to the outside and having at its lower end a valve seat and an upwardly closing valve, means to press the valve upwardly to hold it to its seat when the container is standing upright, said means being automatically operative to open the valve when the container is tilted upside down.

8. An air pipe for the admission of air to a container, said pipe having a valve seat below its lower end, an upwardly closing valve, a tiltable lever automatically operative by tilting the container for opening the valve and when the container is in its upright position for closing the valve and a support for the lever attached to the pipe.

9. An air pipe for admitting air to a container, said pipe having a nut at its lower end, a second nut fitting over and attached to the first nut, a bracket support clamped between the nuts, said first nut having a hole therethrough and a needle valve for normally closing the hole and means resting on said bracket support and adapted to open the valve when the pipe is tilted and close the valve when the pipe is in an upright position.

EDWARD D. SLOAN. 

